Far from being “recently on radar,” human trafficking was a focus of President Obama’s state of the union address in January and has been a United Nations concern for several years. Also as noted in the commentary, it is an international concern that has injured thousands of children, boys and girls. Ms. McDonald also noted that the proposed legislation was heard and received unanimous support from the Legislature. The “War on Women” slogan refers to other issues, including family planning, the use of contraceptives in health care, requiring equal pay for equal work, opposition to raising the minimum wage (which affects far more women than men), supporting the Affordable Care Law (which for the first time equalizes premiums for men and women), legislating humiliating and invasive procedures for women seeking reproductive counseling, and seeking to end affirmative action programs that have benefited women more than any distinct racial minority.

The evidence does not indicate that Republicans are heartless; it indicates that they fail to respect and encourage equality for women in society.